Hack 1: Curving your paddles
Did you ever feel a weird tension in your hands after a while of swimrunning? Well, relax your empty hand and watch the natural form of it from the side. It is not flat, it’s cupped, half closed. I started to experiment with curved paddles when Pontus Lindberg told me he once had paddled curved by design but that they got stolen and he now missed them. I just figured that I could bend a pair of plastic paddles myself. So I did like this. Remove the straps, put them in the oven resting on something but with the side you want to bend sticking out in the air. This is for you to notice when they start to soften. When that happens, take them out, bend to your liking and let cool. Voilà! You now have paddles that feel more natural in your hand and even gives a bit of a scoop to your catch.
Hack 2: Flip your bandana
Some bandanas, like mine, are wider over the ears. You might wonder why. Maybe to allow some peace from a chatty partner? Well, I wear it 90 degrees turned so that the wider part protects the forehead instead of blocking the ears. The only reason I wear a bandana is to protect my forehead from cold water, so maximizing that area while maximizing my hearing is perfect.
Hack 3: Goggles around the wrist
If you are like me and don’t like the feeling of having something tight around your neck you may want to carry your goggles like this. Goggles around the wrist leaves the hands free for scrambling, eating or holding paddles. Goggles resting around my forehead I found them to be foggy/sweaty when it is time for a swim. And as visible in the cover picture, you may even make coffee like this! Another way would be to put the goggles inside the swim cap and the cap inside of your wetsuit, tucking the goggles away but not having them touch your skin.
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